Morals vs money in Vicky Oliver’s “Firebrands”

Vicky Oliver’s recently released historical novel “Firebrands,” explores women’s activism, labor struggles, wealth inequality and sisterhood in 1908 Manhattan.

The bustling Manhattan of 1908 is a tale of two cities.

Downtown, people sleep ten to a room while labor clamors for better working conditions. Meanwhile, uptown, along Millionaire’s Row, people reside in Gilded Age palaces. But in this cacophonous, rollicking city, everyone lives in close proximity and paths cross.

In this divided city, two sisters who grew up together and share a close bond, have markedly different visions of what their futures hold. Spirited activist Helena James urges women to save themselves from lives of powerlessness. She outwits the police—who’d much rather harass than help her—and undertakes dangerous missions on behalf of her brave advocacy.

Brimming with twisty suspense, romance, forbidden lust, and humor, “Firebrands” explores the lighter side of the feminist movement, the darker side of industrialization, and the loving but confounding side of sisterhood.

At a time when women had few choices, “Firebrands” tells a story as relevant today as it was over a hundred years ago.

“Firebrands” is available wherever books are sold.

VICKY OLIVER graduated from Brown University with a double major in English Honors and Political Science and received her MFA in Fiction from the New School in 2022. Her novel, “Firebrands” (Histria Books, 2026), is distributed by Simon & Schuster. “Firebrands” was a Killer Nashville Claymore Award Finalist for Best Historical Fiction and a Writers’ League of Texas Award Finalist for Historical Fiction. It received five stars and a “Very Highly Recommended” review from Readers’ Favorite. Oliver also writes nonfiction and has published six career books, including 301 “Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions” (Sourcebooks), which sold 100,000 copies. She published fifteen personal narrative essays (four in anthologies) and is the Nonfiction Editor as well as an Art Editor at LIT magazine, the journal of The New School’s MFA program. Vicky’s savvy career advice has been featured in over 901 outlets, including the New York Times, WSJ, New York Post, and Esquire. She co-hosts the weekly Resilient Women podcast for Relatable Media that brings true-life stories of women overcoming immense obstacles to find joy and success. Learn more at https://vickyoliver.com/firebrands-fiction-author/

Nov. 2, 2026

Sheryl Bass

Submit well-written book reviews for consideration to editor@sandhills.news. In AP style, book titles are in quotation marks. The book review must be copied and pasted into the body of the email. Do not include a rating. Use the structure of the book reviews seen in Sandhills News’ Book Reviews and Recommendations: engaging introduction, brief synopsis without spoilers, recommendations with comparison to other books, where to purchase, and author bio. Include image of book cover in the body of the email. No attachments will be considered.

Subscribe to Sandhills News and support this conservative journalism with advertising.

Submit news tips, events and interview requests to editor@sandhills.news.

Sandhills News is plain-English local government reporting that explains how decisions affect your land, taxes, schools and rights.